A Novel Detection of Defects in Al-SiC Composite by Active Pulsed Infrared Thermography Using Data and Image Processing

This paper presents detection of defects on the tensile specimen of Al6061/SiC composite using active pulsed infrared thermography technique (APIRT) by data and image processing. APIRT is a powerful nondestructive evaluation tool for online monitoring of the real defects of composite which gives an accurate region of defects with respect to temperature variations. Al/SiC composites have high strength, high resistance to wear and low weight properties which increases their demand in many industrial applications. Thirty numbers of Al6061/SiC composite specimens were prepared by stir casting technique, out of which 20 specimens are defect-free with different compositions and the remaining with induced defect and cut, as per ASTM standard B577M-14. The APIRT experimental result shows that the Al/SiC composite tensile surface region with defect reveals higher temperature than region without defect and also cooling process proceeds longer in the region having defect. APIRT clearly shows that internal and external surface defects, defect areas with high thermal concentration, accurate defect area with high revolution, prediction of first failure location in specific region of specimen, coverage with large detection areas, size, depth of defect and material loss percentage of defect area are found with digital image processing.